January 7, 2004
Beagle 2
Lander Still Silent
Today's first real opportunity for the
European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter to hear a signal
from the Beagle 2 lander passed in silence.
Hopes were high that Beagle 2 would receive
and respond to commands sent by Mars Express as it flew over
the presumed landing site at around 12.15 GMT. Not only was Mars
Express flying over Isidis Planitia at an altitude of just 220
miles (350 km), giving it an ideal listening position, but it
was the first time that the primary communication link with the
orbiter had been used during the Beagle 2 mission.
Artist's Rendition of Beagle
2 on Mars
Click
for larger image
All Rights Reserved Beagle 2 - www.beagle2.com
Speaking from the European Space Operations
Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, ESA Science Director Professor
David Southwood said, "I have, I'm afraid, to make a sad
announcement, that today, when we were in conditions we thought
were very good for getting direct communication between Mars
Express the 'mother ship' - and Beagle 2 the 'baby'
we did not get any content of a signal, nor indeed a signal
from the surface of Mars.
"This is not the end of the story.
We have more shots to play but I have to say this is a setback."
"There are opportunities to contact
Beagle still to come, though we've established today that it
is certainly not in a particular communications mode that we
had expected it to be in."
Professor Colin Pillinger, Beagle 2 lead
scientist, expressed his thanks to everyone at ESOC for the efforts
they had put in over the last few days.
"I think all I can say to the whole
team at this stage is 'play to the final whistle'. It only takes
a fraction of a second to score a goal, and that's the way we
will have to look at this and not give up at this time, although
it is the moment when we have to start looking at the future
as well," he said.
Efforts to contact Beagle 2 and to pin
down its position on the Martian surface will continue in the
weeks to come.
"We have another opportunity to look
tomorrow in a more sensitive mode, the canister mode on Mars
Express, which is the most sensitive mode Mars Express has for
detecting an RF signal," Dr. Mark Sims, Beagle 2 mission
manager, said.
"We have two Odyssey sessions tonight,
when we will be attempting to command Beagle 2 in order to have
a maximum chance of seeing data with the canister mode tomorrow.
Both of those Odyssey sessions coincide with CSM 1 mode, both
am and pm, which will be another opportunity to rule those scenarios
out."
The most favourable opportunity will be
on Jan. 12, the last Mars Express overpass that was pre-programmed
into the lander before its separation from the orbiter on 19
December. However, this window will only be available if nothing
has happened to reset or alter the lander's timeline.
"If we see nothing , we're left with
the scenario of Beagle 2 potentially operating but not being
able to receive a signal, in which case we will have to wait
till the last back-up mode in Beagle 2 becomes active, which
is autotransmit," Sims said. "The latest date that
will become active is 2 February."
"My personal view is that, if we have
not received a signal within 5 to 10 days of that event, then
we have to assume Beagle is lost."
Source: Particle
Physics and Astronomy Research Council press release
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